Coffee maker



March 3, 1953 N. SHARAF 2,630,061

COFFEE MAKER Filed April 5. 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. NAT HAN SHARAF ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COFFEE MAKER Nathan Sharaf, Brookline, Mass.

Application April 5, 1947, Serial No. 739,683

4. Claims.

The present invention relates to coffee makersi. e., devices used to prepare the beverage from the ground. coffee. The present invention is shown as applied to the percolator type used quite generally in restaurants and hotels, in which boiling water is poured over the ground coffee contained in the porous coffee bag or ring, so-called, retained in the top of the container.

It has long been recognized that in order to obtain repeatedly the same coffee brew from a given kind of ground coffee, conditions in the preparation of the brew must be accurately repeated without variation. Among the things which are important in the preparation of coffee is maintaining the proper proportions of the boiling water and the coffee as may have been established by trial or testing. For this reason, it is common practice for the operators to measure out the water in gallon containers, and it is then dumped or poured over the cofiee in the coffee bag or ring at the top of the container or urn. This is objectionable for a number of reasons. In the first place, the volume of the water is not accurately measured. There is danger that the operator may scald himself in pouring the water, as the top of the percolator is considerably higher than the bottom and the water, which is heavy, must be lifted higher than the top before it can be poured. Another objection is that usually the operator simply dumps the water over the coffee and it is therefore not poured constantly and slowly through the coffee grounds. It also takes some time for the gallon container or pitcher to fill since it stands exposed and unheated. the boiling water cools before it actually diffuses in the coffee. A further objection is that usually two or three pitch are full of boiling water are necessary in making the required amount of brew for the coffee urn.

These factors of uncertainty, inaccuracy, danger, and difficulty are all avoided in the system of the present invention, in which a measured volume or boiling water is automatically provided and the apparatus is connected in such a mannor that the water can be readily spilled without effort on the part of the operator or allowed to trickle or spray over the coffee in the cofiee bag in a uniform and consistent fashion. Water temperatures can be carefully preserved and ob served. The coffee may be made without recirculation through the coffee bag unless particularly desired. The present system i such that the ordinary volume of coffee may be made so quickly and conveniently that smaller coffee units may be provided, with the result that the coffee may be prepared more often and therefore be fresh all the time. The operator does not need to have the ability and strength to lift and pour a gallon of boiling water at the risk of spillme some or scalding himself in making the coffee. Units of two, four, or more gallon are readily usable in the present invention and coliee is so readily prepared that the operator or restaurant keeper finds it no inconvenience to prepare a new batch or" coffee at any time.

The invention will be more fully understood and its merit and advantages more completely appreciated by consideration of the specification set forth below when taken in connection with the drawings illustrating an embodiment there of, in which Fig. 1 shows a coffee maker of the present invention with parts in fragmentary section;

Fig. 2 shows a top view of the device of Fig. 1 with the covers to the coffee urns removed;

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the arrangement of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged detail of the invention.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the complete cofiee maker I has a pair of cofiee containers or urns 2 and 3 between which instrumerits and valve operating mechanism may be contained for the operating unit in the preparation of the coffee. The containers 2 and 3, which may be of the usual fashion, are surrounded by conventional hot water jackets t and 5-,, which are preferably connected through a connecting pipe 6 extending from one jacket to the other. On the instrument panel I there may be placed three indicating thermometers t, 9, and ill for indicating respectively the temperature in each of the jackets and also of the water in the top vessel 5 1, respectively.

As shown more particularly in Figure 2, the top vessel ii is divided into, two compartments, the larger one it and the smaller one it, separated by a partition or wall M, which extends part way upward from the bottom of tank and serves to provide, when filled to the top, a measured volume in the larger tank, since the water level in the tank 12 will rise to but no higher than the level of the upper edge oi the partition 54. The compartment 13, as will be ex-- plained later, is used to control and initiate the operation of filling the compartment it! to the desired volume. The compartment i2 is filled by the pipe line 15 which extends through a sole noid valve l6 and makes it possible to deposit boiling water from the outlet i? just above or just within the tank section I2.

The section or chamber I2 is provided with an outlet [8, which is connected by a T joint to the manually operable valves :9 and 2B, which in turn are connected respectively to the spray rings 2i and 22 pivoted over the top of the coffee containers 2 and 3 respectively. When once the chamber I2 has been filled with boiling water, it may be emptied either by the valve is or 2G to permit the rings 29 and 2! respectively to spray over the coffee in the bag at the top of the container.

The compartment 13 of the vessel ii is provided with an overflow drain 23 and an outlet drain 2 3. The overflow drain is carried off through the T joint 25 into the jacket i and the drain 2 is carried oil through the valve 2t into the jacket 4. connected, the overflow could be deposited in either jacket. I'he overflow pipe for the jackets l and is shown in the jacket 5 at 2?, which will automatically regulate the height of water in the jacket. In the compartment or section it there is a lever pivoted at 3% having a float "8 carrying a float ball 29 at one end ill on one side of the pivot and at the other si la of the pivot a short arm against an electric switch of the type in which a sma l movement is suflicient to operate it, such a microswitch. The operation of the switch 32 takes place with the lowering of the ball 28 when the compartment l is drained. This operation oi the switch will cause the solenoid valve 56 to open, permitting the boiling water to enter through "the pipe l5 and outlet i? into. the compartment Initially, in the operation of the system, the compartment It is filled up to a level, such that the float 29 prevents the solenoid. valve it from operating and depositing boiling water into the compartment l2. opening the valve the compartment [3 is drained into the j acket, dropping the float 29 and opening the valve I i} so tl. t the compartment 12, which heretofore has been empty, may become filled with boiling water. Boiling water will continue to flow into the compartment l2 until it flows over the partition is sufliciently to raise the float 29 causing the switch to operate to close the valve 56. When the valve :6 has closed, the water in the cornpatnient i3 is still below the level of the paron it while water in the compartment it is just at the level of the edge of the partition that a measured volume of water is contained in the vessel l2. Thereafter, either the valve 55 or 253 is opened permitting the water to flow either into the T sprays or pipes 21 or 22, respectively, over the coffee in the open bag hung in the top of the container. It may be noted that the valve 25, which may fly back when released, need only be held open until the solenoid it has operated and the water begins to fiow, as in any eventhe tank 1?; will fill to the level of the partition it, whether the valve. Eli is held open for a shorter or a longer period of time.

An enlarged detail of the section E3 of the is shown in Fig. 4. Action in the closing and. opening of the switch 32 gives a sufici nt rential to permit water to' fill the compartmerit 2 to the level of the partition. The provision of the drain or exhaust of the water section into the surrounding jacket of the coffee container insures the keeping of the level in the jacket to the desired height. The flow water into the compartment i2 is sufiiciently rapid so that little change in temperature takes place, and. this temperature of the water is al ways indicated by means of the indicator s. In

this arrangement, either unit 2 or 3 may be used and coffee may be made so rapidly that one unit may be practically exhausted before coffee is made in the other unit, without in any way interrupting service to the patrons.

While the arrangements shown in Figs. 1 and 2 show the coffee maker incorporated in a single united structure, the various elements may be positioned at a considerable distance one from the other. This is indicated in Fig. 3, where independent cofiee urns or containers 4E] and ll may be used, connected substantially similarly as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with perhaps the following exceptions:

Since the jackets t and ii are r In Fig. 3, independent overflow drains l2 and lt are shown for the surrounding jackets or" the coffee containers. The drain from the small compartment fi l of the measuring device or element may be deposited either in the jacket ll? or ii by suitable choice or operation of the valves and ll connected by a T joint or outlet from the chamber at. The main measuring compartment as may be drained into either coffee container by operation of either the selector valve or the selector valve iii. The in et for the hot water is similarly shown as in Figs. 1 2, through the inlet pipe 52, solenoid valve inlet opening 54.

operation of the system shown in Fig. 3 is parallel and similar to that previously explained in Fig. 1. Using the apparatus as described above, any counter operator in the usual: type of restaurant is capable of making colic-e any time by following the simple rule of do? positing the proper amount of coffee in the cotfee bag, starting the operation of the system by ope ing the valve, draining the small companinent until the boiling water starts to flow in the larger compartment, when the drain valve for the small compartment is again closed and the operator waits until the solenoid valve has shut oii. Ee then knows that the proper amount of water is available and opens either one valve or the other to permit the water to sprinkle or spray over the coffee. There is no need in the present system of pouring the brew back over the coffee grounds, as uniform spraying with definite line and pipe connections permits the coffee to be made as desired without such repourlng.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A cofiee maker of the type described, comprising a tank adapted to PA measured quantity or iter, partitioning a per partition being substantially less than the depth of the tank, whereby water flow over the partition being substantially less than the depth manual control means for emptying the water from the partitioned of portion, control means positioned in said positioned off section operated in accordance with the level of the water in said partitioned off section, means controlled by said control means for providing a low of boiling water to said tank and for shutting cid supply of the same, said control shutting off the flow of boiling water to tank when the over-i1ow over said partition to the partitioned oil section reaches a predetermined level and admitting the flow of boiling water to tank when the level in partitioned off section has been depressed below a predetermined level and manual control means for permitting the flow of water from said partitioned cit section.

2. A cofiee maker of the type described comprising a tank adapted to contain a measured quantity of boiling water, a supply line for the boiling water to said tank, a second tank with connections to said first tank for receiving an overflow thereof beyond the measured volume, a float operated switch in said ,second tank, valve means operably controlled by said float operated switch when the level of water in said second tank has reached a predetermined level for shutting off the supply of water to the first tank and when the level of water in said second tank has dropped from said predetermined level for admitting said boiling water to said first tank, means for dropping the water level in said second tank, a coifee percolator positioned below the level of the bottom of the first tank, having pipe connections therewith and valve means operable for admitting water from the tank containing the measured quantity of boiling water to said coifee percolator.

3. A coffee maker of the type described comprising a unitary structure having a pair of coifee percolators therein and a tank positioned between the percolators with the bottom thereof at a level higher than the percolators, a shower spray positioned over each of the percolators for wetting the coffee grounds at the top thereof, and pipe means connecting said sprays with said tank through selector valves, said tank having an overflow level positioned to permit a measured quantity of water to be contained therein, a second tank having a float operated switch, the water to said second tank being supplied by the over-flow from the first tank, an exhaust outlet from the second tank having a manual control, valve means operably controlled by said float operated switch when the level in the second tank is depressed by opening said exhaust outlet for admitting boiling water to said first tank and for shutting off the supply of said boiling water when the overflow of the first tank to the second tank has raised said float to a predetermined position.

4. A coffee maker of the type described comprising a unitary structure having a pair of coffee percolators therein and a tank positioned between the percolators with the bottom thereof at a level higher than the percolators, a shower spray positioned over each of the percolators for wetting the coffee grounds at the top thereof,

and pipe means connecting said sprays with said tank through selector valves, said tank having an overflow level positioned to permit a measured quantity of water to be contained therein, a second tank having a float operated switch, the water from said second tank being supplied by the overflow from the first tank, an exhaust for the second tank having a manual control, valve means operably controlled by said float operated switch when the level in the second tank is depressed by opening said exhaust for admitting boiling water to the first tank and for shutting off the supply of said boiling water when the overflow of the first tank to the second tank has raised said float to a predetermined position, said percolators having surrounding water jackets and means connecting the exhaust from said second tank to said water jackets whereby periodically a small quantity of water will be supplied thereto in causing the filling of said first tank when the exhaust of said second tank is opened to depress said float from its predetermined position.

NATHAN SHARAF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 855,702 Goddard June 4, 1907 1,457,037 Kreutz May 29, 1923 1,472,551 Capocci Oct. 80, 1923 1,551,855 Svendsgaard Sept. 1, 1925 1,603,130 McDuflie Oct. 12, 1926 1,630,904 Reckard Mar. 31, 1927 1,869,720 Strand et a1 Aug. 2, 1932 2,016,281 Harper et a1. Oct. 8, 1935 2,086,127 Gordon et a1 July 6, 1937 2,206,424 Oyan July 2, 1940 2,247,226 Ehrenreich June 24, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,501 Great Britain of 1878 24,403 Australia July 21, 1930 471,080 France July 1, 1914 

